A Kids Cupcake Decorating Party is Perfect for Birthdays

If you're looking for new kids birthday party ideas then have a think about a kids cupcake decorating party. Kids love to make things and be creative ~ and if they get to take their creations home with them all the better ~ it's like having a ready made party bag.

Cupcake decorating parties are great for kids of all ages ~ right into adulthood in fact ~ and I know this because I run these parties and often the adults can't help but have a go themselves. They suit both boys and girls (the chance for boys to make monsters and aliens is normally too good for them to pass up), and can be tailored to the age of the child so young kids i.e. around 4 can just try to squeeze as many sweets onto a cupcake as possible, whereas older kids can be taught how to make specific decorations, such as these frog cupcakes.

However the real beauty of cupcake decorating parties is they can be as simple or as complicated as you like, so whether you want to bring someone in to run the party for you, or do it on a DIY basis a cupcake party is a really great option.

So if your kids are creative and you're looking for something a little different this could be a great option for you and if you're looking for some cupcake decorating ideas then see the links below.

The first thing you need is enough space around a table for all the children to be able to sit down. I would also advise a maximum of around 10 -12 children as beyond that they can get a bit over-excited and it can be difficult to give each child the help they need.

Aprons are a good idea as with all that icing sugar and buttercream it can get a bit messy but if you don't have enough aprons ask each child to bring (or wear) and old t-shirt or something they don't mind getting messy.

You'll need cupcakes which can either be made or bought ~ if making them it can be fun to buy some themed cupcake cases, maybe birthday ones or a mix of colours. For a really good party you'll need some buttercream in piping bags, some glace icing (though this can now be bought to use in packets with nozzles which is a real bonus) and plenty of sweets. Have a wide range and be ready to use your imagination to show the kids what to do ~ for example jelly beans make great flower petals and chocolate buttons can be eyes or ears.

Have a couple of cakes made up so you can show the kids the sort of things they can do ~ sometimes they need a little help to get them on their way. If you're just letting them get on with it you'll need to allow about 5 mins per cake, so an average child will complete around 6 cakes in 30 minutes. If you want to string the party out a bit have a couple of cakes that you make together so they follow what you do ~ this works out to be around 10 - 15 mins per cake.

Another option is to throw a cupcake related game in there. One of my favouites is what I call the 'straw face game'. Use sweets to make a face on a cake and give either each child, or teams of 2 or 3 kids a cake and the sweets they need to make the face. Also give them each a straw (make sure all the sweets you use are bigger than the end of the straw ~ you don't want any accidents with children sucking up sweets).

Without using their hands they have to suck on the straws to pick the sweets up and put them on the cake ~ the winner gets a prize.

Why not make your cupcakes look really fun with some bright and colourful cupcake wrappers, and of course once you're cupcakes are decorated you really need something suitable to display them on, so why not try one of these themed cupcake stands. There are a whole range to choose from included a princess cupcake stand and a sports themed one, and if there isn't a stand to suit your theme you can always buy a plain one and decorate it yourself. Then there are the party bags to consider, but don't feel pressured into spending a fortune, a few well chosen items such as a couple of balloons, a bouncy ball or some craft items are really all you need - along with a slice of cake of course.

If you follow these simple guidelines and you should have a great party, or if you're not sure that cupcake decorating is for your kids have a look at some other great arts and craft party ideas.

If you don't want the hassle of doing a party yourself there are companies around who run cupcake decorating parties for kids.

What you're looking for when you hire someone to run your childs cupcake decorating party you ideally want someone who is both a great cupcake decorator and a great kids entertainer. What you want from them is something you cannot do yourself, so you are really looking for more than someone to just watch them stick sweets on cakes. You want someone who can show them what can be done with coloured buttercream and sweets and teach them how to make simple animals, flowers or people out of icing so that they cupcakes they decorate really have the 'wow' factor.

Everything should be provided for you from the cakes to the aprons ~ plus the setting up and clearing away. It's worth saying that in addition to the time spent at the party there is easily 3 to 4 hours of preparation the cupcake decorator will have to do before the party such as bake the cakes, colour the icing and make the samples that the kids will copy ~ and you should expect this to be reflected in the price you pay.